Waterdrop A1 Countertop Reverse Osmosis System, Hot and Cold Water Dispenser, NSF/ANSI 58 Standard, Bottleless Water Cooler, 6 Temperature Settings, 2:1 Pure to Drain

Historically I've been using a Zero Water Filter pitcher to produce cleaner water but I was attracted to the benefits of Reverse Osmosis (RO) and the ability to get either chilled or hot water. I would also buy spring water from the super market but all those plastic bottles seem wasteful and they are certainly bulky.I can't overstate how large and noisy this unit is. When the box arrived I had to manhandle it into my house and wondered where on earth it might fit in my kitchen. The unit resembles one of those old computer tower systems from 20 years ago but has a pleasing aesthetic all the same with a large OLED screen for controlling the various functions.Installing the system is pretty easy, rather than being plumbed in, it has a water tank which you fill from the tap. I didn't want to have a system that needed to be connected to the water supply. I did the initial flush of the system which involved installing the water filters (very easy) and flushing around 3 tanks of water through the system. This takes quite a while. During this process, I noticed how noisy the unit was while producing water which is to be expected with a RO system. If you decide you want chilled water then the unit sounds like a fridge, it runs in the background to keep the water cool which will also have an impact on your daily energy consumption. It does have a "night mode" so that you can manage running costs, it stops the unit from refrigerating the water overnight which is a handy feature.Rather than go into extreme detail I thought I would compile a list of pros and cons of this unit so far.Pros:Reverse OsmosisEasy to setup, use, and install (doesn't need to be plumbed in)Hot and cold waterAway from home mode for when you know you're not going to use the unit for a whileCons:Size (it's huge)Cost (the unit is more expensive than most)Operation noise (whether you're using it or not)The water tank seems small (I'd estimate you get 3 litres of water per refill)OLED screen is not that bright, especially in sunlightAfter using this for 6 weeks, overall I don't hate it but I don't know enough about RO to determine whether the unit is good value for money in terms of performance. As yet I have no idea of the running costs, both for the electricity or how long the filters will last before they need to be replaced. I have found I need to refill the water tank at least twice a day which makes me think that a plumbed in unit would have been the better choice. Refilling the tank is easy enough however so it's not really a big deal. I think what would have made this unit better is having an app so you can configure the unit, monitor usage and water filter status.The water does taste great, there's no doubt about that. One of the most satisfying things about this unit is when you throw away the Reverse Osmosis waste water (you could also use it to water plants). The waste water looks pretty gross, there's normally some sort of pollutant film on the water and it often looks cloudy.

I unboxed the Waterdrop A1 and was initially impressed with the build quality and overall look of the dispenser. Easy to set up and install the filters. It sounded like a great bit of kit and I was looking forward to doing away with the kettle and bottled water from the fridge. I first tried a cup of coffee as the compressor had to settle for 2 hours before I could try the cold water feature. This worked fine so after 2 hours I tried the cold water which also was fine. Hot and cold filtered water delivered instantly at the touch of a button. Whats not to like about this dispenser. All was good until I woke the next morning to discover that during the night the machine had decided to dispense the entire tank of water onto my kitchen worktop and floor, it was like a mini flood which took a while to dry up. No where in the instructions did it mention this as a feature. I put it down to teething problems and refilled the tank, replaced it and turned it back on. I tried another cup of coffee and this time it was just warm despite being set to the hottest temp which I thought was odd. Then all of a sudden it just started to dispense cold water without being prompted and again, filled the tiny drip tray which started to overflow all over my kitchen worktop until I turned it of at the wall. That was it for me. Boxed back up and returned after losing £18 on return shipping costs. So I basically paid £18 for a flooded worktop and a tonne of hassle. My conclusion is this: it could have been faulty but after paying £699 for this bit of kit I would've expected it to work out of the box and not cause all these issues. Spend your hard earned money with caution as you may have the same problem I had. Very disappointed to say the least.

Had less than 2 weeks and apart from the 2:1 RO h2o and waste h20. If you drink more than a litre per day this is not for you. Used my hydrogen bottle (450ml) twice and the cold water is exhausted! Takes hours before you can use it again! Quite disappointed tbh and also it has no remineralization, hence using my hydrogen bottle.

The idea of this machine is great, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.The weakest points:- if more than one person is using it, you'll need to refill it every day- it's not good enough to pour water in, you'll have to actually lift the tank off the base, or it thinks it has no water- the "waste tank" uses water up as well, so you'll have to empty that too once a day, and if you have just refilled the water tank shame on you for not noticing sooner, because when you pour the "bad water" away you can't help but pouring half of the water in the tank away, too. There is no easy way of doing this but to lift the whole thing off- if you're puring a cup of tea it's kind of pot luck whether the water is actually at the temperature you'd like it at. If, for example, you have only just refilled, it's most likely the water is still lukewarm: there is no way of knowing as the machine does not tell you it's not ready/has not reached temperature- the spout is so far from the cup or glass that you can't avoid the water "spitting" all around the counter- it's clear in the measurements, sure, but the machine is so tall that it will not fit under most kitchen cupboards, and since it refills from the top, even if it does fit, you'll have to slide it out to lift the tank up, which is not ideal when you have to do it every dayIs it worth the money? Definitely not. The water doesn't even taste great, and if you can (I no longer live in the UK so I, alas, cannot) look at alternatives like Bibo or Virgin Pure.